Going to petco today to get some stuff for Aquarius I went to look at the betta obviously. Then I saw almost half of them were either dead or dying. I wanted so badly to just take one home and the girls, OMG the girls were just babies. There were a few beautiful marble's and a chocolate who didn't look too good. I just wanted to grab all the sick ones and see if I could take them home. I think once I get my 10 gal, divide my 20gal, and get the 2.5 or another 5 gal I'll start saving fish from petco. I think I can guilt them into giving me the fish so I won't have to pay for them. Especially if they are as poor off as those guys were today. I nearly cried leaving the store.

It's so hard. I went to petco the other day and saw a fish who had obvious SBD and internal parasites. I felt so bad for him and begged the manager to let me take him home. He fought me on it, saying the fish was just going to die anyway, but eventually let me take him home. The fish didn't last four hours and I cried so hard. I just feel so bad for them. For now I've been sending my family with my credit card and a list of what I need so I don't pick up any more rescues that are in such bad shape.

I know the feeling, I nearly just got everything online for my fish today but I wanted to go. GAH this will be so much easier when I have my other tanks all set up and running. I need to buy some filters and have my parents ship me my 10gal tank.

If I ever work at a pet store and they had sick fish, I would be like to my boss/manager "Can I bring this little guy/girl home, (s)he is sick and no one wants a sick fish, I can heal him up & I will bring him back once he's healed and he can be back on sale, because honestly we would make so much money if they look much better & no one wants to buy a sick fish with clamped & ripped fins, and close to death I can easily heal (s)he up, so can I take him home for the days?" That's what one of my friends would do, and all there fish were in the best condition I ever seen, but she moved away back to Australia, so now there fish are sick, and in bad condition. If I were to bring them home it would be much easier, but good idea, if you see really bad condition ones, come to the store a lot and become friends with the manager or the store host & be like "Can I please have this fish, (s)he looks like he's dead, and he has no colour? I don't want to pay $5+ if (s)he doesn't even make it till I get to my house."

Awesome idea, I know same situation I had, it's BS all there excuse is "It's just a fish" and they don't understand it's a living creature, and it's not just a fish. When people see there dog die it's such a big deal, but when a fish dies it's like "Who cares, just flush it down the toilet!"

Poor fish, I would set up a sonority tank for females and get groups of 4 or more when rescuing, so you can help more then 4 females & I would get at least 3 2 - 5 gallon tanks for a male. Poor fish and I am glad you are someone there to help ;)

Yeah, I am chomping so hard at the bit to just order this new tank and go back tomorrow to rescue the girl who wasn't doing too hot and the beautiful veil tail marble boy. Honestly could I divide my 20 gal into three parts? I could use that to just get three out of the store by tomorrow. I have a spare heater but no spare filters currently. I could nab or make dividers at the store. I have plenty of gravel and some plants and hides from Aquarius's old stuff and from my old betta's. I just really hate to see them all in there like that and at least if they die here I would give them a proper funeral and a short time in a comfortable surroundings.

Yeah, I am chomping so hard at the bit to just order this new tank and go back tomorrow to rescue the girl who wasn't doing too hot and the beautiful veil tail marble boy. Honestly could I divide my 20 gal into three parts? I could use that to just get three out of the store by tomorrow. I have a spare heater but no spare filters currently. I could nab or make dividers at the store. I have plenty of gravel and some plants and hides from Aquarius's old stuff and from my old betta's. I just really hate to see them all in there like that and at least if they die here I would give them a proper funeral and a short time in a comfortable surroundings.

Yeah diving the tank into 3 places will also work, it would do a really good job too ;) I would keep diving tanks 2 tanks can easily become 6 spots, which saves 6 fish.

If a person is really nice, and not someone "I just want money" and there young they'll let your take them, but usually they wont because they want money and there not as young.

I'm just so glad my Petco takes such good care of their bettas...When I went to find a rescue, I only found one, out of 80-150 bettas. They are most of the time well fed and changed every other day.

Something that people don't realize, is that the individual stores don't have control over any of the betta orders. No one orders bettas, they are sent automatically through the company. So, even if we have 100 bettas, the next week, we could get another shipment in of 60-70. The reason why is because most stores are top betta sellers. We really have no control over the betta orders, all we can do is take good care of them :/ I sell a good 10-20 bettas to good homes there each day.

Also another thing, even employee's can't just bring home sick, sad bettas. I've tried, believe me. I had a halfmoon king male jump OUT of his container, through the tiny hole in the top. I found him on the floor, I don't know how long after, and he had tore all his scales off from his back and was all torn up. I asked my boss to bring him home for a fraction of his price (19.99) and she told me no, I would have to pay full price. In all honesty, I contemplated stealing him...haha. But yeah, I got Rico, my new rescue for 1/3 his price, he was 15 but I got him for 5. It is REALLLLLYYYY stupid.

I have my ways. Honestly if a fish is near death and I am a costumer and you risk losing my buisness who is in the right? I as the customer am always right and if I don't get my way you could lose me forever and my friends if I tell them. Plus you really make profits on tanks so I could go on a speil about buying a big tank for it too and then just not get the tank and grab like a few things for the fish and go. xD

Actually I did it with a guppy once it petsmart. They let me have him because he was nearly dead but he never made it. He didn't even make it to the house, died in the car ride home.

Or my favorite, "This animal looks very very ill and needs some immediate medical treatment. I would be more than happy to take it, the chances of it surviving are not too good at this point...or I would always speak to your manager, supervisor, and write complaint letters to the company about this animals care and demand something is changed or I'll continue to report. ^-^"